It wasn’t pretty but Adelaide Crows eventually broke St Kilda’s resistance to win by 49 points

IT WASN’T brilliant, it wasn’t pretty and it wasn’t spectacular — but it was honest and workmanlike against a team that hatched a good plan but didn’t have the personnel to execute it.

Adelaide’s Rory Sloane in action. Picture: Michael Klein

IT WASN’T the Crows we’ve come to know, with their attacking and high-scoring, and it wasn’t the fast-pinging and scoreboard-turning Etihad Stadium we’ve come to know.

But Adelaide has survived its first test of lockdown tactics for season 2018 by cracking open St Kilda by weight of numbers and volume of class.

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It wasn’t brilliant, it wasn’t pretty and it wasn’t spectacular — but it was honest and workmanlike against a team that hatched a good plan but didn’t have the personnel to execute it.

Bryce Gibbs collected 26 disposals and a goal.

It took until the third quarter for the Crows to look themselves and play with a bit of panache after the under-siege St Kilda had mounted a brick wall defence that finally cracked.

It was unlike most matches at this ground — not fast, not clean, and not delivering the cricket scores we have come to expect from the Melbourne Docklands.

It had the Crows leading by just 10 points and only reaching 37 for the first half, meaning St Kilda’s mission to keep last year’s minor premiers to a tally of less than 100 points was on target.

There were still some standout performances.

Rory Laird, who recently signed a new contract, continued a rich vein of form and was one of the few Crows who was flawless with his disposal.

He provided run, contested ball and tackles and proved why he is near the top in the coaches’ association’s award for the competition’s most valuable player.

But at the other end, St Kilda’s Shane Savage played with similar freedom and flair.

Eddie Betts and Taylor Walker make life difficult for Shane Savage. Picture: Michael Klein

Eddie Betts’ goal drought finally broke, and the small crowd was on its feet when he danced around Jake Carlisle to kick a signature goal from the pocket. There was more to come, but later, once the dam had broken.

And Richard Douglas, returning from injury, played a peach of a game, clean and calm under pressure. His class made a difference when the game was at a standstill.

But there was something subdued about this match, orchestrated by the accountable methods of St Kilda.

Former Carlton star Bryce Gibbs caught the eye early for the Crows but was then shadowed closely by David Armitage.

Tom Lynch, playing his first game of the year, blended some brilliant moves with some uncharacteristic blunders, such as when he handed a cheap goal to first-gamer Nick Coffield with a an errant kick from the back pocket. The one thing that couldn’t be questioned from Lynch, though, was his coverage of the ground.

Rory Sloane worked hard but only managed 15 disposals. Picture: Michael Klein

There were other concerns.

Captain Taylor Walker and Rory Sloane weren’t themselves and looked like they might still be affected by foot injuries — or the time those injuries had kept them from training at full pace — and Rowan Marshall was giving Sam Jacobs a hard time in the ruck, even though Jacobs still had the better of him.

Lachlan Murphy was impressive, following St Kilda’s playbook by making defensive pressure a key aspect of his game.

It was a game waiting to be cracked open.

When Richard Douglas found Betts next to the goalsquare in the 16th minute of the third quarter, the Saints wilted.

Walker kicked the next, with a soccer kick off the ground, and the Crows had finally broken St Kilda’s shackles.

BEST

Adelaide: Laird, Gibbs, Douglas, Jacobs, Talia, Walker

St Kilda: Savage, Newnes, Dunstan, Sinclair, Acres